Richard Beard appeared on This Morning to explain a truly awful childhood tragedy.
He revealed he wasn’t allowed to speak his dead brother’s name following the awful incident back in 1978.
Richard was just 11-years-old when he was forced to leave his drowning brother, who was nine at the time, to try and save himself while he swam to safety.
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Richard was enjoying a holiday to Cornwall with his family but things took a turn for the worse when the two boys went swimming.
The emotional man explained how they were caught by waves and struggled to swim back to shore.
Talking to hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby he said: “I remember him desperately trying to doggy paddle and lift his head above the water and his lips clamped close, just panicking.”
He revealed: “I made a conscious decision that I remember absolutely clearly that I had to get back in or I would die.
“The consequence of that is I had to leave him in the water.”
But his story became even more tragic after he revealed the family never spoke about Nicholas again after he passed away.
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Viewers watching from home couldn’t believe Richard’s terrible story and took to Twitter to share their thoughts.
“#ThisMorning Richard Beard’s story is so sad. I feel for his poor mum having to live with, but hide her grief for so long,” one wrote.
Another added: “#thismorning sitting here tears running. Lump in my throat listening to this poor mans story of the forgotten little brother. Just tragic.”
Richard told Phil and Holly he could only start grieving for his brother after his dad died after years of not mentioning him at all.
He wrote a book, The Day That Went Missing, where he was able to open up about that tragic day.